What a Wonderful World
by Katraa
Summary: After the game, a certain Composer realizes just how special and important his proxy truly was to him. Now he's meddling with things he shouldn't and Neku seems to be the one suffering. Oh what a wonderful world. .joshuaneku.


**The first multi-chaptered story I've written for the newly added 'World Ends With You' section. Hopefully you all will enjoy this story. I assure you all I will try my best. Hopefully you all will enjoy the plot as well -- there is more to it than just meets the eye. Also, to those who are worried about the completetion of my Kingdom Hearts fanfics, don't be. I promise that I won't abandon them. Now, onward to the prologue of 'What a Wonderful World'.  
**

**.PROLOGUE.  
_What a Wonderful World_**

It was bright and the streets were alive with the vibrant and unique voices of Shibuya's inhabitants. Girls chattered giddily about the latest trends and who was dating who while boys grumbled to one another and struck up bets just for fun. Old lovers walked hand in hand alongside new, and young girl ran about with ice cream and giggles. The citizens blended together so perfectly, so resolutely. The faces blurred but the individuality remained. Perhaps the world wasn't _all_ that bad as he had earlier assumed. There was some good left, some strive for a better life. There were still some good people left that deserved second chances. Second chances…

"…This mess is gonna have repercussions upstairs," Sanae Hanekoma stated softly into the air, glancing out over the bustling city below. His eyes settled upon the Hachiko Statue area where a cluster of familiar faces chatted eagerly. His dark eyes softened at the sight as his arm slackened some, slung over his leg. "But hey," he began again, black sunglasses tipped off the bridge of his nose, "at least things are back to normal."

Beside the dark-haired, familiar man was an ambiguous shape. Blinding light encircled the figure causing it to look ethereal and godly. As the moments trickled by, the light dimmed just a degree to reveal a rather stoic male body staring down at the crowd as well. The male's lips were pursed together, as if resisting speaking. Eyes, which resembled empty vessels, gazed vacantly downward, locking on one specific body amongst the diverse Shibuya crowd.

"Right?..." Sanae trailed off and looked up at the standing figure. His brow cocked and he lifted a hand to scratch at his stubble. He seemed mystified and confused. When he received no response, he continued staring until, "What?"

No response came once more as the figure stood there, unchanging.

"You seem down," Sanae noted with a knowing star. His eyes followed the invisible path of the other's eyes and he inwardly sighed in understanding. Ah. After a moment, Mr. Hanekmoka arose to his feet and stood beside the figure, being a good foot shorter.

Still no response.

"Hey, it's their world," he advised and stared down at the beaming teenagers. He fought off the frown that he knew was about to come from looking out on the group he had gotten to know…but not as well as the silent male standing beside him. "They get to decide what to do with it."

The shining figure seemed to stiffen at those words.

"We just—" the dark-haired man began again but was cut short at the sound of crackling, dissipating energy. He turned his head and watched as the once boldly standing figure condensed into a ball of light and shot up into the air.

Sanae sighed and dragged his hand through his hair. '_I hope you realize what kind of effects you had on him, Phones.' _Without another thought, but a chuckle, the shaded man extended his expansive white wings and rubbed the nape of his neck.

"Some folks just don't take no for an answer." He shot the teenagers one last stare, namely the orangey brunet with the wide, _true_ smile and smirked to himself.

'_Josh, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into…'_

_**xxx**_

"God man, this is good!"

Neku turned his head slightly and observed the hotdog that Beat was currently chowing down on. The skater's eyes were closed in bliss as he continued to consume the beefy meal with slight hums of pleasure here and there. Ryhme sat beside him, giggling at her brother's excitement. Her blonde hair was tucked neatly behind her ears, the black beanie she wore covering most of it. She herself was eating a salad with a soda, listening to Shiki ramble on about the latest gossip and trends that were currently plaguing the market. Girl talk.

As Neku observed his three friends, he couldn't help but wonder countless things. When Beat and Ryhme left the game, how awkward was it when they returned to the RG? Did Ryhme automatically get her memory back? And if so, was Beat uneasy about talking with her? What was Ryhme's entry fee to begin with?

"Neku, are you even paying attention?" Shiki demanded as she lowered her glasses. She eyed him with the ferocity of a mother lion.

"What? Oh, of course," he answered calmly and leaned back in his chair, tossing her a prompted smile.

Shiki sighed and dragged a hand through her black hair. "We're finally having lunch together, the four of us, and you're off in lala land by yourself. Geez, Neku," she complained.

"He probably just has a lot on his mind," Ryhme stated softly and looked to Neku with a soft, understanding smile.

That was right, Ryhme always _had _been the smartest and sympathetic of the group. Neku regarded her with a small smile of his own and returned to gingerly eating his burger. It wasn't that great but it was the best this shop could do. The really good restaurants were either too expensive or too long of a walk—the group tried to stay in the Hachiko section of Shibuya if at all possible. It was nearby everyone's home.

"So guys, how have you been?" Shiki questioned as she took out her notebook. She began sketching as she ate, casually glancing up from time to time to observe the faces of her friends.

"We've been great!" Beat declared after having consumed his hotdog. He licked his fingers and crossed his arms behind his head, resisting the urge to prop his feet up on the table. "Damn great."

"Couldn't be better," Ryhme giggled. "Beat's actually being nice to our parents."

Beat's face dropped, a frown replacing his joyous smile. "Yo Ryhme…thought we weren't gonna talk about that."

"It's fine," Shiki reassured and smiled warmly at Beat. "We all have our fair share of petty problems. No need to feel embarrassed." She giggled quietly.

"Hey!" Beat stated and made a rather stunned noise. "It ain't no problem!"

"Whatever you say, Beat," Shiki giggled again and went back to drawing.

Beat sighed dramatically and looked back to Neku who seemed to still be spacing out. "Yo Phones, what're thinkin' about? You've barely said one word to us."

Neku snapped back out of his thoughts and glanced at Beat. He subconsciously reached to touch his purple headphones but frowned in recollection. Right, he had taken them off the day he returned the RG. He almost missed them…the constant music blaring in his ears, drowning out the chattering of Shibuya. His fingers fell from his orangey hair and instead rested on his leg. "Felt like somebody was watching."

Beat snorted in amusement. "Watchin'? Hells yeah they are! Probably watching me. The ladies, that is."

Ryhme sighed and rolled her eyes, returning to her meal. Shiki grunted at her friend's egotistical ways and Neku just stared. "The ladies? Beat, there _are_ no ladies that'd be interested in someone who can scarf down a hotdog in less than a minute."

Shiki and Ryhme seemed to catch on to the innuendo but Beat was just left there staring blankly, tapping his lip as if it would give him the answer. "What, man? I just like 'em. They're the best!"

Neku sighed and averted his gaze back up to the sky. His fingers absently toyed with the material of his white shorts. He allowed the conversation of his friends to engulf him as he watched the sky with wide blue eyes that seemingly mirrored the color above. '_Thanks, you know…for giving us all a second chance at life…you really didn't have to do that but you did. Thanks, Josh…'_

A slight breezed ruffled Neku's hair as he relaxed in the chair. He spaced out the conversation temporarily to instead listen. Just listen…Joshua had once told him that if one were to listen very closely they could hear the heartbeat of Shibuya; the steady thumping of the city beneath, around, and above him or her. Neku attempted to tune into that beat but failed. His eyes closed briefly and he indulged in the individuality that was Shibuya. He had once detested this city but now adored it.

"Guess who is going to eat lunch with us tomorrow!" Shiki's squeal interrupted his pleasant thoughts. He opened one eye and surveyed his friends with subtle interest.

"Who?" Ryhme asked with a tilted head.

"Eri!!" she exclaimed and clasped her hands together. "Apparently she met Eiji today and had lunch with and discussed fashion! And omigosh I'm so totally jealous!" Girl talk. Girl gibberish, actually, go figure.

"…The Prince?" Ryhme wondered as she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"_Yes_!" Shiki squealed. "He liked our designs!"

Ryhme grinned. "That's great, Shiki!"

"Told you so," Neku interjected in a mumble before returning to observing the skies. He was silent for a moment longer until he felt a gentle gust of wind sweep down and trail along his neck. His brow cocked at the odd sensation but he shrugged it off. The tall, towering buildings of Shibuya usually caused the wind to do odd, odd things.

The gust came again, this time more persistent, if such a thing was possible. Neku's eyebrow arched further but he refused to look away from the sky. The amibigous, fluffy clouds captured his attention completely and he'd be damned if he looked away now. He was never one for cloud-gazing but today was just different. Everything seemed so perfect, so _right_.

"Never knew you were one for ignoring things, Neku"

Neku felt his entire body bristle at the whispered, sickeningly sweet words into his ear. He sat up a bit straighter and looked to his friends. They continued chattering as if nothing had happened. _Did_ nothing happen? Was he going completely crazy? The orangey brunet grumbled and leaned back in his chair again, eyes slipping closed. He was hallucinating, that was all. He hadn't received much sleep the night prior and now he was paying for it in spades. That's all this was.

"Going to ignore me now, too?"

Neku's hand flexed instinctively and he quickly spun his head around, expecting a face to be within inches of his own. When he did, all he was greeted with was empty space and traveling people a few feet behind him. Neku's lips fell open, as if about to question himself out loud. The question never came as he turned back around and grumbled curses under his breath.

"Something wrong?" Shiki asked as she tentatively poked his shoulder.

"No, just a bit tired," Neku lied easily and looked to her with a calm demeanor.

"Ah, then maybe you should head home. Don't want you passing out on us," she giggled softly and made a shooing motion to her friends. "We don't mind, right guys?"

Ryhme and Beat smiled at him. Apparently they understood the mental anguish that was still nagging at him. "Maybe I will," he mused and thoughtfully dragged his fingers through his hair. "We're meeting up for lunch tomorrow, right? Same place, same time?"

He received three simulations nods. He nodded back at them and arose from his seat, hands shuffling into his capacious pockets. "I'll see you guys around, then. Have fun," he stated and tossed them a gentle head-nudge in acknowledgement before turning his back. He walked slowly, almost hesitantly, away from his table and towards the Hachiko statue. Once out of the way of both the crowd and eyeshot of his friends, he leaned against the monument and closed his eyes.

'_I'm going crazy. That's all there is to it. I've been so stressed out that I've completely lost it. Oh god, I can't afford a therapist,'_ he groaned dramatically in his mind, figuring that humor would be the best anecdote at the moment. "Maybe I just need something cold to drink and some rest…"

"I got into a lot of trouble upstairs for giving you and your friends' lives back, Neku. The least you could do is say hi to me." A giggle followed the words.

Neku tensed up and snapped his eyes open. His head swiveled back and forth meeting nothing but air and foreign faces. He blinked some, rubbing his eyes in confusion. '_I've gone nuts! Crazy…need sleep…should just head back home before I worry anyone. It's been a long week….'_

"A simple hello would suffice," the voice reiterated in his ear. This time the words were accompanied by a gentle brush against his neck. The brush didn't feel anything like skin nor air…a median between them, perhaps. He shuddered almost automatically at the thought and lifted his own hand to bat away at whatever had caused the odd sensation. Perhaps just his own hair tickling his neck. Yeah, that was plausible!

"Fine then, I'll do all the talking. You just stand there and look pretty." Neku blinked in bewilderment. "I need your help, even though I really do _hate_ to admit it. Sanae and I seem to have run into too much trouble and we need a…an assistant, to be vague. I want you to meet us both at Wildkat tonight at seven. Don't be late, Neku. And please bring your voice"

And with that the strange presence was gone and Neku was left alone.

'_Wildkat…no that couldn't have been Joshua. He can't appear in the RG. And besides, I would have seen him and…what trouble could those two have gotten themselves into? And why me? God damnit…' _He held his head for a moment. '_Then again, going to see Mr. H for a bit wouldn't hurt, and even if I did just imagine that whole voice thing, I could just lie and say I came for something to drink. Yeah…'_

The strange thing was, though, as Neku began his walk back to his house, that the longer he went without that murmuring in his ear, the more alone he felt.

'_You just don't take no for an answer, do you Josh?'_


End file.
